Precious Moments
by Erin Finnlaith
Summary: A small side story to DrusillaDax's "The Camel's Back Did Not Break". ^_^ Proof that even Slytherins have a sweet side! Chapter's 3 & 4 up! Blame my plot bunnies it's become a series! I'm Baaaaack!
1. Default Chapter

Precious Moments
    
    By: Erin Finnlaith

Disclaimer:

N – stands for Nothing, which I have in abundance

O – stands for Other people, who own the original HP characters

T – stands for Trial, which I hope to avoid

M – stands for Money, which I have none of

I – stands for I'm a bum without money

N – stands for Nada, which is what I am getting for writing this story

E – stands for Empty handed, which is what you'll be if you sue me

All character depicted here belong to J.K Rowling and a lot of other people who aren't me. ^_~ This is meant as a mini side story to DrusillaDax's_ The Camel's Back Did Not Break!_ And is the result of a MAJOR plot bunny attack! *Imitates an army sergeant* Our forces were strong, but they overpowered us…they were just too much…this had to be written…^_~ WARNING: Fluffiness and sweetness ahead! (I'm not kidding here, this could give you terminal diabetes…) Enjoy! ^_^

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was shortly after six when Severus returned home to find his wife seated at the kitchen table indulging herself in a large gallon carton of vanilla ice cream.

            "Love, a whole gallon?!" he exclaimed.

            "Well, I'm awfully fond of the stuff lately."

            "Apparently."

That night they sat out on the davenport. Hermione with her ice cream, and Severus grading papers. Suddenly Hermione dropped her ice cream bowl on a nearby table. Her eyes grew wide and startled.

            "Severus!" she whispered.

Severus sat up in alarm scattering scrolls across the table and onto the floor. "Love? What is it? What's the matter?"

            "Oh my…" she whispered, leaning forward clutching her stomach.

            "Hermione, what's wrong?" His voice had taken on a panicked note as he knelt down beside her.

Hermione closed her eyes, her mouth forming a small 'O'. She breathed in while he wondered if he needed to summon Poppy or apparate them straight to St. Mungo's. 

            "For Merlin's sake, what is it?!"

            "Something…I'm not…" She kept her eyes closed while sweat broke out across his brow and chest. Her eyes opened and a tremendous smile played across her face.  "Something moved in there."

Severus' eye shot down to the slight bulge of her stomach. Hermione cupped it in her hands reverently. He held his breathe.

Sighing, Hermione closed her eyes. "There it goes again. Once more…please…just once more," she prayed.

            "Is it still moving?" he asked quietly.

            "No…Yes…I don't know…wait!"

Hermione made rooms for one of his hands beside her own. They sat there in silence for quite a while. Mesmerized. They waited. Nothing happened.

            " I can't feel it." For some reason he felt he had been cheated."

            "I guess it's finished."

Suddenly he felt something. It was so light at first that he wasn't even sure it was real. It felt like…like…he couldn't find the words to describe it. It was almost like holding a small kitten and feeling it purr. It was a small flutter and only lasted a moment, but in that moment Severus' eyes had grown to the size of saucers. His eyes drifted up to his wife's and she smiled gently at him. 

They stayed that way for what seemed like hours. Huddled together, and hand on either side of Hermione's gentle mound, just basking in each others warmth and the cocoon of love they had created… 

AN: Sappy isn't it? Ah well! When fluffiness hits…what can you do? This was partly inspired by my rabid plot bunnies and a sugary story a friend of mine relayed to me about her own pregnancy. Hope you liked it! 

^_^v Please leave a contribution in the little review box!


	2. The Choices We Make...

Precious Moments
    
    By: Erin Finnlaith

Disclaimer:

N – stands for Nothing, which I have in abundance

O – stands for Other people, who own the original HP characters

T – stands for Trial, which I hope to avoid

M – stands for Money, which I have none of

I – stands for I'm a bum without money

N – stands for Nada, which is what I am getting for writing this story

E – stands for Empty handed, which is what you'll be if you sue me

All characters depicted here belong to J.K Rowling and a lot of other people who aren't me. ^_~ These (yes _these_. As in more then one! *sigh*  My plot bunnies are relentless…) are meant as mini side stories to DrusillaDax's_ The Camel's Back Did Not Break!_ And are the result of a MAJOR plot bunny attack! *Imitates an army sergeant* Our forces were strong, but they overpowered us…they were just too much…this had to be written…^_~ WARNING: This chapter starts out a tad bit angsty but gives way to fluffiness and sweetness! (I'm not kidding here, this stuff could give you terminal diabetes…) Enjoy! ^_^

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Choices We Make…

Hermione sighed as she sat up, which was quite a feet given her advanced pregnancy. "This is nice. Just the two, or should I say _three_ of us. No annoyingly overly concerned friends, nurses, or psycho doctors to deal with. Why don't you take a nap while I unpack the picnic basket, OK?" 

Severus shook his head, and then laid his head on Hermione's lap, his hand resting on her protruding stomach. "I'm sorry I'm such a grouch."

Hermione smiled and ran her fingers through his now oil-free hair. "Go and take a nap. You'll probably be less cranky." 

"I'm not the one who's pregnant." 

"No, you're worse." 

Severus grunted at that comment and gave her a light punch in the arm, then settled down on his wife lap, his hand still resting protectively on her stomach, and began to dream… 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He was running, he had to get away. He had been running so fast, so long, and so hard that he thought his lungs would burst, but he had to get away. He wouldn't go back…he couldn't go back. He would not be a heartless killer any longer! 

'_What good will it do you?_' a cruel voice laughed. 

_'Your hands are already stained with the blood of innocents…Murderer!'_ the voice echoed from all around him, as accusing eyes seemed to stare at him from every corner. 

Severus clenched his eyes shut, trying to drown out the voice and the accusing eyes.

_'Having a problem?' _the voice jeered.

There was silence.

_'You know death is so much easier. Imagine being free from all this pain, this guilt. Just ending everything. Make them all pay for what they've done to you…for pushing you into this,' _the voice taunted.

"No," Severus replied, fighting to hold on to his sanity.

_'YES! Make them pay. Make them feel guilty. They did this to you. Your father, your so-called 'friends', Voldemort, even Dumbledore. It's their fault! They pushed you to become what you are! Your father, with his neglect and cruelty, your 'friends', with their **sympathy** and **kindness**…they abandoned you…so much for friendship. And Voldemort, he was the one that pulled you into this madness, this dark, decaying, web of death. Then there's Dumbledore…Ah yes! Dumbledore, the man who helped you '**oh so much'** during your time as a student and when you came to him for help, to escape, he throws you back into the snake pit! They did this to you…all of them!' _the voice continued.

"No. I was…I was isolated, lonely…I had no purpose," he defended. 

_'Well…your loneliness has returned once more, has it not? You're no better then when you began. What's your purpose now? Or is there even one?'_ the voice questioned. _'Death is so much sweeter…and simpler.'_

"Death is only a means to an end. It's an acknowledgement of failure," Severus argued, fighting against the darkness surrounding him.

_'You 'are' a FAILURE. The world would be a much better place with out you!'_ the voice mocked.

"NO!! I WON'T!! I WON'T DO IT! NO!!" Severus shouted, clenching his fist to the side of his head and rocking back and forth, as fought his inner demons. "LEAVE ME BE!!!"

_'Only in death shall you be rid of me. That should be a problem for you at all, should it? It is after all what you do best…Murderer!' _the voice replied.

"NO!" Severus screamed. He had to get away. He had to run…had to get away.

_'You're worthless. A lost lonely little soul with no purpose in life.'_

"NO! STOP IT!!" Severus continued running, hoping to find an end to the darkness. Faster and faster…

_'End it before anyone else gets hurt,'_

Faster, faster, faster. Run. Must get away.

_'Yes…end it soon,'_ the voice echoed.

_'Death is easier.'_

Run, run, run, ru…SPLASH!

Looking around him all Severus could see was inky blackness…nothingness. A burning sensation started in his chest and Severus realized with a start that he was underwater. Severus started to kick towards where he thought the surface should be, but something kept pulling him back. He fought. Kicking and thrashing his way upward trying to reach the surface. He wanted to shout for help…to scream, but he couldn't and he was running out of air…fast.

_'Give in. You know you can't escape it. Give into the darkness…to death.' _The voice taunted.

'No! I won't! I can't!' Severus trashed, kicked and continued his struggle upward. 'I won't give in!'

The more he struggled the stronger the pull backward became…he couldn't hold out much longer. Severus felt his limbs grow tired and heavy. A cold weight settled in the middle of his chest. He tried to fight it but it was getting more and more difficult with each passing second. 

'Is this it? Is this how I am to die?'

"It is if you let it," another voice sounded.

'What?'

"You have a choice. You can give in now and let your heart be consumed or you can fight it. You have the power," the voice, as soft and clear as the tinkling of bells, replied. "Do you want it to end here? Like this?"

'No…NO! I don't want it to end this way!' Severus renewed his struggles, despite how hopeless it seemed.

"Do not give in to the hopelessness and sorrow that consumes you. Don't let the darkness win."

With one last powerful burst of energy Severus shot his way towards the surface, as he neared he could make out a faint beacon of light. 'I will not give in!' 

Surfacing, Severus gasped for air as the light grew brighter blinding him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Severus opened his eyes, blinking as he adjusted to the light. In front of him stood a small child, a girl he noticed, with long dark hair, dressed in a lavender jumper clutching a worn red bear. That's not what caught his attention though…it was her eyes. A deep chocolate brown, so familiar…he knew those eyes…no, not _those_ eyes but eyes very similar, almost exactly alike. These eyes held a unique spark of their own…yet were so like…

"Why are you so afraid?" the child asked. Severus realized that this child was the voice that had spoken to him just moments ago.

"What?" he asked, surprised.

"Afraid. You're afraid. You hide yourself behind your masks. There is a darkness in your heart," the child replied.

"It is my way of dealing with life." Severus couldn't believe he was justifying himself to a child. It was ridiculous! "You'd never understand."

Meeting his gaze the child stared at him. For the first time Severus noticed a wisdom in the child's eyes that spoke volumes…

"Facing yourself is never easy. _Life_ is never easy," the child replied.

"Life…what life? I only bring death! I'm a murderer…a cold blooded killer!"

"Did you enjoy killing all those people?" the child questioned.

"What?" said Severus, taken back.

"Did you enjoy killing all those people?" she repeated.

"What?…No! Of course not!"

"Then you have nothing to fear. You have mourned their loss and must move on."

"I don't think I could ever forget…"

"Death is never easily forgotten…yet it reminds us of our mortality. No one lives forever, we all must die at some time," she answered solemnly.

"It's not when we die, but _how_ we die," Severus replied bitterly.

"The choices we make in life determine our given paths. You did not _want_ to kill all those people…it was a mistake. One that you have mourned and paid for a thousand times over." 

"But…"

"Everyone goes through a period of self-doubt," the child interrupted. "You and only you can determine where you want to go from here. To live or to die…now is the time to choose. You've wrestled with this for far to long, and are unable to move forward. You must choose now. What is it you want? To live for the future? Or die with the past? What do you want?" 

Severus hesitated a moment as he let the child words sink in. Visions of his friends, and family filled his head. His mother smiling sweetly up at him. Weeping happily when he and Hermione had announced their engagement. Draco, his pupil…his friend. Dumbledore, his mentor, the man who gave him a chance at redemption rather then condemning him. Even Harry Potter…the boy who for seven years had been a thorn in his side. A spoiled, selfish, boy-hero…or so he had thought. When it had come down to it Potter had come through, and proven himself to be a true friend. A vision of Hermione danced across his memory. Hermione…his wife, the mother of his child…his soulmate…

Severus knew what he had to do. 

"I've made my choice," he declared.

Smiling up at him the child nodded. Severus felt himself pulled backwards into a warm, welcoming embrace and the child began to fade away. Before the vision was completely gone Severus asked, "Who are you?"

The child smiled at him again, her eyes dancing with light and joy. "Your future. You're not lost anymore…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Severus, wake up…wake up, Love!"

Severus opened his eyes to see a girl with chocolate brown eyes smiling down at him. A weird feeling of déjà vu hit him, but then he noticed the differences. This girl, no, woman's hair was a much lighter color, and her skin was a rich golden brown, unlike the small girl's. She much older then the child and obviously pregnant, but the eyes and the smile were the same.

Hermione smiled at her husband. He always looks so cute when first wakes up. Then she noticed a tear making a path down his cheek. "Sweetheart, what's the matter? Why are you crying?"

Severus caressed her stomach lightly and smiled. "Because I'm happy."

AN: Awww! ^_^ How sweet! I'm still wondering where that came from. That turned out _completely_ different from how I originally planned it…darn plot bunnies! Ah well, I like it! So what do you guys think? Should I keep it up? The 'Precious Moments' series I mean, not this particular 'chapter', although now that I think about it I can use this as a reference point for a couple of the chapters I have mapped out in my head already…YAY! ^_^ My plot bunnies are relentless! Which is a good thing! Anyway, tell what you think! Good, bad, no comment, I should be drug out into the street and shot…what? Review! Review! I'm going to ask for at least 15 – 20 reviews before I post anything else for this, so get busy! ^_~ See ya next time!

^_^v Please leave a contribution in the little review box!


	3. Child Development

Precious Moments.
    
    By: Erin Finnlaith

Disclaimer:

N – stands for Nothing, which I have in abundance

O – stands for Other people, who own the original HP characters

T – stands for Trial, which I hope to avoid

M – stands for Money, which I have none of

I – stands for I'm a bum without money

N – stands for Nada, which is what I am getting for writing this story

E – stands for Empty handed, which is what you'll be if you sue me

All character depicted here belong to J.K Rowling and a lot of other people who aren't me. ^_~ Except of course for Minerva Snape, she belongs to DrusillaDax (love ya hon!) and is being used with her permission. This is just a small glimpse into the childhood of Minerva Snape…*evil grin*

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Child Development or The Joys of Parenting!

Hermione and Severus made there way down the hall toward the child development center. Earlier that day they had received a rather urgent owl from their daughter Minerva's teacher. Upon reaching the class the aforementioned teacher came up to the couple. 

"What did she do this time?" sighed Hermione.   
  


"She kicked one of the other children because he was teasing Terrence," said the teacher (Professor Sprout).   
  


Severus looked up surprised. "Wait a moment. You mean she actually stood up for him?"   
  


Professor Sprout rubbed her forehead in thought and sighed. "To my understanding, it went something like this. Terrence was being chased around by a couple of older boys. Minerva jumped in front of them and said, "You can't mess with my brother! I'm the one to decide who can and can not punch him!"   
  


"So, they got into a fight?" said Severus flatly.   
  


"Well, one of the boys actually threw the first punch. Minerva dodged and then kicked the boy between his legs."   
  


Hermione put her hand over her mouth and tried hard not to laugh.   
  


"But unfortunately," continued Professor Sprout. "She kicked him so hard that a certain part of his anatomy went back into his body and had we had to call in a Medi-wizard to take it back out."   
  


Severus reflexively crossed his legs, and turned to his daughter, who in turn smiled sweetly up at him.   
  


"Young lady, what do you have to say for yourself?" said Hermione sternly.   
  


"I didn't know boys could scream that high." 

Severus's cry could be heard echoing throughout Hogsmeade.  
  


"MINERVA!"

AN: I'm at it again! ^_^ I know I said 15 – 20 reviews but I just couldn't wait! And don't worry! I'm still working on "Serenity", but I wanted to continue exploring other areas of Minerva's childhood. And for those of you confused about the whole Terrence issue, just accept it for now. It will make more sense when I finish "Serenity" and when Dru finishes "Camel". Anyway What'cha think? Good, Bad, I should quit while I'm ahead? What?

^_^v Please leave a contribution in the little review box!


	4. Pop! Goes the question

Precious Moments
    
    By: Erin Finnlaith

Disclaimer:

N – stands for Nothing, which I have in abundance

O – stands for Other people, who own the original HP characters

T – stands for Trial, which I hope to avoid

M – stands for Money, which I have none of

I – stands for I'm a bum without money

N – stands for Nada, which is what I am getting for writing this story

E – stands for Empty handed, which is what you'll be if you sue me

All character depicted here belong to J.K Rowling and a lot of other people who aren't me. ^_~ Except of course for Minerva Snape, she belongs to DrusillaDax (love ya hon!) and is being used with her permission. This is just a small glimpse into the childhood of Minerva Snape…*evil grin*

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Pop goes the question!

"Daddy is there anything you're afraid of?" asked Minerva as she finished up her breakfast cereal. The six-year old smiled up at her father with an expectant look in her eyes. 

"No. Nothing," he replied between sips of tea, as he read the Daily Prophet. 

"Oh." Minerva turned to look at her mother standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

Hermione smiled at her daughter and nodded. "Go on, sweetie, you can ask."

Turning back to her father Minerva mustered up her best 'I'm-being-serious' look and asked, "Where do babies come?" 

Severus spat out his tea. He got up, glanced nervously in his wife's direction and said, "You field this one!" and left the room quickly, disappearing to the safety of his lab. 

"Mommy!" Minerva ran over to her mother, tugging at her robes.

"Babies come from a sack inside the mother's body, not the stomach. When they're big enough, they come out." 

"Does the Daddy help out?" 

"Well, yes, but it doesn't always seem like he does," Hermione said, glancing in the direction Severus had sped off in. 

" I heard that!" Severus yelled, but he refused to come out of his lab for the rest of the day. He stayed in there 'till late that night when he was sure his children would be in bed.

AN: Poor Sevie! ^_~  So, how was it? Hope you enjoyed it! More to come!

^_^v Please leave a contribution in the little review box! 


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